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A large block of land on the outskirts of Whakatāne has been put on the market.

The 7.44-hectare landholding at 23 and 45 Keepa Rd near State Highway 30 is zoned for light industrial use but there is the potential the land could be used for residential development, a retirement village or Whakatane's first Kiwi Build project.

A plan change to rezone the land residential has been progressed to a pre-hearing stage.

The block - which has two titles - is being marketed for sale as one entity at auction at 1pm on December 12 through Bayleys Tauranga.

Larissa Reid and Rhys Mischefski of Bayleys said utility services were available on the perimeter of the property.

"Located to the north-west of Whakatane town centre, the Keepa Rd block is bordered by properties on all sides sustaining a variety of uses – from pastoral grazing and cropping activity through to retail and light industrial tenancies," Reid said.

"The corner-site location will benefit future retail tenancies through its high exposure to traffic using State Highway 30, while also providing instant access to the town's main arterial route.

"Directly across the road on the State Highway 30 frontage is The Hub Whakatane 'big box' retail shopping centre – containing large footprint tenancies such as Harvey Norman, Farmers, Rebel Sports, Briscoes, Bunnings, and Kmart.

"Behind the Keepa Rd bare block is a range of industrial tenancies sustaining the town's automotive sector, along with the Whakatane branch of national building supplies firm ITM," Reid said.

"Meanwhile on the Keepa Rd eastern frontage, a large strip of land adjacent to the Whakatane River is zoned for rural purposes and is currently used for stock grazing. The land contains a large stormwater pumping station and water holding area which have been constructed specifically to manage stormwater from the site being marketed.

Keepa Rd is the main access route into the suburbs of Piripai and Coastlands.

Reid said an alternative plan for the plots could see the creation of a terraced-style neighbourhood retail centre with the likes of a boutique fruit and vegetable mini-mart, hair salon, bakery, convenience store diary, and fast-food premises.

Mischefski said there was also the potential that the site, subject of an almost completed plan change, could be used to for a residential subdivision or retirement village.

He said the land could be suitable for establishing Whakatane's first Kiwi Build enclave.

"Whakatane's urban belt is stretching ever further away from the town's central business district – as seen with the creation of The Hub Whakatane. Concurrently, there is also demand for more affordable housing – so we are expecting interest from two substantially different buyer markets for the Keepa Rd sites.

"Some 1.5 kilometres to the west of Keepa Rd is the Shaw Rd/Huna Rd suburban housing area which has been rezoned residential under the district plan and the development of a large portion has just been completed.

"However, this activity clearly indicates that urban growth on the western side of the Whakatane River is where planners see the town's long-term residential expansion as the eastern sector reaches capacity."